Last night in Oklahoma, after his controversial majority decision win over Maxi Hughes, former unified lightweight champ George Kambosos Jr ran into the unbeaten lightweight contender, former featherweight and super-featherweight champ Shakur Stevenson.
The two shook hands and showed some mutual respect, but Stevenson – for some people, the best young fighter in the sport today – made it clear what he thinks will happen if he and Kambosos fight.
The 20-0(10) Stevenson, who wants the top dogs of the sport, Devin Haney and, further down the road, Tank Davis, said to Kambosos’ face that he would stop him if the two do fight. Stevenson began by telling Kambosos, 21-2(10), that he had Hughes winning the fight last night.
“That’s just my opinion,” Stevenson said.
“Oh, Shakur, you know boxing better than that,” Kamboso’s manager said to him. “You just want to fight a weaker opponent. You know Kambosos is tough; that’s why you’re saying he didn’t win.”
“I’ll stop him,” Stevenson told the manager before turning to speak directly to Kambosos himself. “You get in the ring with me; it’ll be bad; that’s all I’m telling you. I respect what you’ve done, I ain’t taking nothing away from you, bro…..I’m just saying as far as me. If they [the top names] don’t fight me, we can make it happen. And I’m gonna stop you, I promise you. I’m gonna stop you, I’m gonna beat the s**t out of you, trust me.”
Again, it was mostly good-natured back and forth, with Kambosos’ guy saying, “Teo said the same thing” (about how he would stop the Australian when they fought, Kambosos instead defeating Lopez via decision in 2021). But this is an interesting fight if Stevenson cannot get Haney next. Stevenson, who has so far had just one fight up at 135 pounds, would nevertheless enter the ring with Kambosos as a big favorite to win. Kambosos is indeed tough, but 26-year-old Stevenson has that special look the greats have.
But would Stevenson be able to become the first man to stop Kambosos if the fight did happen? We’d sure tune in if Stevenson-Kambosos was made. But has Stevenson got bigger fish to fry, and should Kambosos really do the decent thing and grant Maxi Hughes (a southpaw like Stevenson) a rematch next?